Thursday, June 27, 2013

Ever since I was a little kid I thought the Nash Metropolitan was the coolest looking car. Especially the Series III. I found this one in the West Central area and it's for sale. (No, I'm not buying one.)

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

I shot this with a Nikon D7000 through a Sigma 15mm wide angle lens and with a Rode shotgun microphone attached. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the results but I still have a lot to learn. I just got the lens and this was my first time using it. You can see my bright headlight in a couple of shots. How bright is it? About two blocks into the ride I flicked on my light. A couple of bikers ahead of me yelled, "Car!" and moved to the right. That's how bright.

While I agree with the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision declaring Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, I was curious what the four dissenters had to say.Rather than discuss the effect of DOMA, Chief Justice Roberts says the court lacks jurisdiction to consider the case and argues that the law was not intended to harm.

"The majority sees a more sinister motive, pointing out that the Federal Government has generally (though not uniformly) deferred to state definitions of marriage in the past. That is true, of course, but none of those prior state­by-state variations had involved differences over something—as the majority puts it—“thought of by most people as essential to the very definition of [marriage] and to its role and function throughout the history of civilization.” Ante, at 13. That the Federal Government treated this fundamental question differently than it treated variations over consanguinity or minimum age is hardly surprising—and hardly enough to support a conclusion that the “principal purpose,” ante, at 22, of the 342 Representatives and 85 Senators who voted for it, and the President who signed it, was a bare desire to harm. Nor do the snippets of legislative history and the banal title of the Act to which the majority points suffice to make such a showing. At least without some more convincing evidence that the Act’s principal purpose was to codify malice, and that it furthered no legitimate government interests, I would not tar the political branches with the brush of bigotry."

Justice Scalia, with Justice Thomas and Chief Justice Roberts joining in Part I, also claims the court does not have the power to decide this case. This hinges on the fact that the government refused to defend DOMA, the US District Court and the Second Court of Appeals found for the plaintiff, Edith Windsor, and declared DOMA unconstitutional. Yet the government, agreeing to the outcome but refusing to give Windsor the tax refund, filed an appeal to have the Supreme Court decide the issue. (The Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, created by the House of Representatives, was not allowed to represent the United States since the government was already represented by the US Department of Justice, which, again, claimed DOMA was unconstitutional and was not defending it. The US District Court permitted BLAG to intervene as an interested party in the case.) Hence, according to Justice Scalia, since the outcome is undisputed the court should not decide the case. That seems to be a valid point, yet the court agreed to take the case on in the first place so they have to do something, right? Then, strangely, Justice Scalia's sour grapes come through when he tries to taint the majority by bizarrely claiming they must be considering a foreign constitution to reach their decision.

"The majority must have in mind one of the foreign constitutions that pronounces such primacy for its constitutional court and allows that primacy to be exercised in contexts other than a lawsuit. See, e.g., Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, Art. 93."

It's as if Justice Scalia is tossing out a piece of red meat for the extreme right wing.

Justice Alito, joined in part by Justice Thomas in parts II and III, also agrees the court does not have the authority to decide, but unlike the other dissenters, he directly addresses same-sex marriage in parts II and III.

"Our Nation is engaged in a heated debate about same ­sex marriage. That debate is, at bottom, about the nature of the institution of marriage. Respondent Edith Windsor, supported by the United States, asks this Court to intervene in that debate, and although she couches her argument in different terms, what she seeks is a holding that enshrines in the Constitution a particular understanding of marriage under which the sex of the partners makes no difference. The Constitution, however, does not dictate that choice. It leaves the choice to the people, acting through their elected representatives at both the federal and state levels. I would therefore hold that Congress did not violate Windsor’s constitutional rights by enacting §3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), 110 Stat. 2419, which defines the meaning of marriage under federal statutes that either confer upon married persons certain federal benefits or impose upon them certain federal obligations.

...It is beyond dispute that the right to same-sex marriage is not deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition. In this country, no State permitted same-sex marriage until the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held in 2003 that limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples violated the State Constitution. See Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, 440 Mass. 309, 798 N. E. 2d 941. Nor is the right to same-sex marriage deeply rooted in the traditions of other nations. No country allowed same-sex couples to marry until the Netherlands did so in 2000. What Windsor and the United States seek, therefore, is not the protection of a deeply rooted right but the recognition of a very new right, and they seek this innovation not from a legislative body elected by the people, but from unelected judges. Faced with such a request, judges have cause for both caution and humility.
...
At present, no one—including social scientists, philosophers, and historians—can predict with any certainty what the long-term ramifications of widespread acceptance of same-sex marriage will be. And judges are certainly not equipped to make such an assessment. The Members of this Court have the authority and the responsibility to interpret and apply the Constitution. Thus, if the Constitution contained a provision guaranteeing the right to marry a person of the same sex, it would be our duty to enforce that right. But the Constitution simply does not speak to the issue of same-sex marriage. In our system of government, ultimate sovereignty rests with the people, and the people have the right to control their own destiny. Any change on a question so fundamental should be made by the people through their elected officials."Justice Alito also seems to be putting out some red meat with his several references to "unelected judges". How odd that Justice Alito is unfamiliar with unelected judges in the Supreme Court ruling on a marriage-related law enacted by peoplewho presumably controlled their own destiny and acted through their elected representatives.

"While modern cultural changes have weakened the link between marriage and procreation in the popular mind, there is no doubt that, throughout human history and across many cultures, marriage has been viewed as an exclusively opposite-sex institution and as one inextricably linked to procreation and biological kinship. The other, newer view is what I will call the “consent­ based” vision of marriage, a vision that primarily defines marriage as the solemnization of mutual commitment—marked by strong emotional attachment and sexual attraction—between two persons. At least as it applies to heterosexual couples, this view of marriage now plays a very prominent role in the popular understanding of the institution. Indeed, our popular culture is infused with this understanding of marriage. Proponents of same-sex marriage argue that because gender differentiation is not relevant to this vision, the exclusion of same-sex couples from the institution of marriage is rank discrimination.
...
All that §3 does is to define a class of persons to whom federal law extends certain special benefits and upon whom federal law imposes certain special burdens. In these provisions, Congress used marital status as a way of defining this class—in part, I assume, because it viewed marriage as a valuable institution to be fostered and in part because it viewed married couples as comprising a unique type of economic unit that merits special regulatory treatment. Assuming that Congress has the power under the Constitution to enact the laws affected by §3, Congress has the power to define the category of persons to whom those laws apply."Here is part of the syllabus where the effect of DOMA is addressed: "DOMA’s history of enactment and its own text demonstrate that interference with the equal dignity of same-sex marriages, conferredby the States in the exercise of their sovereign power, was more than an incidental effect of the federal statute. It was its essence. BLAG’s arguments are just as candid about the congressional purpose.DOMA’s operation in practice confirms this purpose. It frustrates New York’s objective of eliminating inequality by writing inequality into the entire United States Code. DOMA’s principal effect is to identify and make unequal a subset of state-sanctioned marriages. It contrives to deprive some couples married under the laws of their State, but not others, of both rights and responsibilities, creating two contradictory marriage regimes within the same State. It also forces same-sex couples to live as married for the purpose of state law but unmarried for the purpose of federal law, thus diminishing the stability and predictability of basic personal relations the State has found it proper to acknowledge and protect."And there you have it. Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act stating "In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word `marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word `spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife," is null and void.

And several hours later, after a filibuster attempt by Senator Wendy Davis, the Republican-led Texas Senate held a last minute vote on what would be the most restrictive anti-abortion legislation in the nation. The vote deadline was midnight.

The Senate's web site reflected the voting was completed on June 26.

Nine seconds later there was an update showing the voting was completed on June 25.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The Spokane Bicycle Club has rides scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday (ladies only), Thursday, and Saturday.Believers on Mountain Bikes has a mountain bike ride at Riverside State Park at 6:00 pm on Tuesday. Check their web site for updates. Bad weather might cancel it. If cancelled, a notice will be posted at least one hour before the meeting time.Spokane Rocket Velo has rides scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Check their site for details. On Saturday, June 29, Spokane Rocket Velo is hosting the Whitworth Criterium at Whitworth University.
This Bike Life has a road ride on Thursday and a mountain bike ride on Friday. Both are at 6:00 pm. Check their Facebook page for details. Weather cancellations can happen.Tomorrow is the last race in the Wednesday Night Mountain Bike Series, sponsored by The Bike Hub at Riverside State Park. Registration starts at 5:00 pm and racing starts at 6:30. There's an end-of-series party with prizes afterwards at the No-Li Brewhouse.

Waiting for the real racers to pass me again during the Lilac City Twilight Criterium.

Wheel Sport East has a no-drop shop ride every Wednesday at 6:00 pm. Wheel Sport Central has a no-drop road ride on at 6:00 pm every Monday and a mountain bike ride every Wednesday. Check their Facebook page for details.Fitness Fanatics has a shop ride at 6:00 pm every Thursday.Two Wheel Transit has a shop road ride Thursday night at 6:30 pm. Meet at the Manito Tap House, 3011 S. Grand Blvd, beforehand. They have another on Saturday morning, at 8:30 am. Again, meet at the Manito Tap House.

The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance - Eastern Washington Chapter is putting on a women's mountain bike clinic on June 29. For questions about either event, contact Chelsey Henry: chelsey at evergreeneast.org.Women on Wheels has rides. Check their Facebook page for details.In the not too distant future:The Lilac City Twilight Criterium will be held in downtown Spokane again on Saturday, July 6.Chris Phelan, the founder of The Ride of Silence, is riding across the country to raise awareness of The Ride of Silence. He'll be stopping in Spokane on July 10 and you can meet him and hear him speak that evening. Stay tuned for details.The Jedermann Grand Fondo is coming up on July 20. Choose between the 30, 66, and 112 mile routes.The Spokane Valley Cycle Celebration is set for Sunday, July 28. Check the Facebook event for details.The Midnight Century is Saturday, Aug 3. This year the start is at The Elk in Browne's Addition, but finish across the river at Central Food. Chef David Blaine, the guy who started this crazy ride, will have the place open for breakfast.Spokefest is scheduled for Sep 8 and registration is open. Register before June 30 and you're eligible to win a bike.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

There was quite the turnout for the second to the last FBC Fiasco. Along with a few Lifetime Members for Life I've known for the past five years, there were a lot of first timers. And there was lots of conjecture as to what will happen after Jeff folds up the FBC next month.

But tonight everyone had a good time at The Swamp, a good ride to Litz's, and then more good time there. More pictures posted here.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

In today's Spokesman Review we have an article in which Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers was "surprised and disappointed" at the defeat of the farm bill.“We thought we had reached that sweet spot where we had the support of enough Republicans and enough Democrats to get the bill out of the House,” said McMorris Rodgers, a high-ranking leader in that chamber as the GOP Conference chair.She is surprised? Was she not paying attention when Nancy Pelosi warned Republicans not to count on Democrat votes because of the cuts to food stamps? And she is disappointed? Republicans have enough of a majority to pass the bill on their own. But they didn't. The New York Times explains.The farm bill is just the latest and most straightforward example of the House dynamic. The House measure called for far more significant cuts to food stamps than the Senate bill did and would have most likely passed with even some Democrats and created a path toward a Senate compromise in a conference committee. For many House Republicans, those cuts still did not go far enough. What is more, they piled on, adding amendments to allow states to drug-test food stamp applicants, and to require food stamp recipients to meet federal welfare work requirements. The result was more Democrats bailing from the bill, and too many Republicans still unmollified.Is she not disappointed that fellow Republicans voted for various amendments to the bill and then turned around and voted against the bill?

Thursday, June 20, 2013

With the wind and rain accompanying me, I rode home from work. A huge puddle loomed ahead of me. I hammered the pedals and sped up, splashing water to the sides and all up my back and into my face. Ah, the joy of no fenders. And then I had to ask myself, "What would a five-year-old do?"

Monday, June 17, 2013

The Spokane Bicycle Club has rides scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday (ladies only), Thursday, and Saturday.Believers on Mountain Bikes has a mountain bike ride at Riverside State Park at 6:00 pm on Tuesday. Check their web site for updates. If needed, a cancellation will be posted at least one hour before the meeting time.Spokane Rocket Velo has rides scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Check their site for details.The Baddlands Racing Club has another evening of racing in their Twilight Series at 6:00 pm, Tuesday. This one is the Radiant Lake road race.This Bike Life has a road ride on Thursday and a mountain bike ride on Friday. Both are at 6:00 pm. Check their Facebook page for details.Spokane Summer Parkways will be in the Comstock/Manito neighborhood at 6:00-9:00 pm, on Wednesday, June 19. There is a bicycle decorating contest at 7:00 pm. Let's hope the weather holds.

The second to the last race in the Wednesday Night Mountain Bike Series, sponsored by Mountain View Cyclery is this Wednesday at Riverside State Park. Registration starts at 5:00 pm and racing starts at 6:30.Wheel Sport East has a no-drop shop ride every Wednesday at 6:00 pm. Wheel Sport Central has a no-drop road ride on at 6:00 pm every Monday and a mountain bike ride every Wednesday. Check their Facebook page for details.Fitness Fanatics has a shop ride at 6:00 pm every Thursday.Two Wheel Transit has a shop road ride Thursday night at 6:30 pm. Meet at the Manito Tap House, 3011 S. Grand Blvd, beforehand. They have another on Saturday morning, at 8:30 am. Again, meet at the Manito Tap House.

Riverside Alley Rats are having a Race Pace Alley Rat on Saturday, June 22. Meet at the Rotary Fountain in Riverfront Park at 8:00 pm. Race starts at 8:30. The word is there are several checkpoints and probably more than one hill climb.The last prom this year. FBC Spokane will hold it's penultimate ride on Sunday, June 23, and it's a Prom Ride. Dress up nice and meet at The Swamp at 7:00 pm.Belles and Baskets (ladies only) is riding the Centennial Trail to Liberty Lake at 1:00 pm on Sunday, June 23. Check the Facebook event for details.On June 22, the Specialized Test The Best event is at Camp Sekani/Beacon Hill. You can check out and ride Specialized mountain bikes.The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance - Eastern Washington Chapter is putting on a basic mountain biking skills class at 10:00 am-1:00 pm on Saturday, June 22. The fee for the three hour class is $50. The group also has a women's mountain bike clinic on June 29. For questions about either event, contact Chelsey Henry: chelsey at evergreeneast.org. Women on Wheels has rides. Check their Facebook page for details.In the not too distant future:The Jedermann Grand Fondo is coming up on July 20. Choose between the 30, 66, and 112 mile routes.The Spokane Valley Cycle Celebration is set for Sunday, July 28. Check the Facebook event for details.

Midnight Century 2012

The Midnight Century is Saturday, Aug 3. This year the start is at The Elk in Browne's Addition, but finish across the river at Central Food. Chef David Blaine, the guy who started this crazy ride, will have the place open for breakfast.Spokefest is scheduled for Sep 8 and registration is open.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Last night I posted that I went rail biking yesterday. Rolling quietly through the woods was so peaceful. Well, until my squeaky brake startled three moose that were below me by a creek. The thunderous crashing as they ran away sounded like they were destroying everything in their path.

I started off as the first rider so I could get ahead of everyone and get some shots with my camera. After everyone went by I put my bike back on the tracks and shot from behind for a bit. Then I asked if we could stop so I could place the camera on the tracks and get everyone as they rolled over it. We stopped and I dismounted. I walked around to the front and got my camera situated. Then I walked back to where my bike was, um, supposed to be.

I was flummoxed. "Where's my bike?"

At that moment I remembered we were riding up a grade. It was so slight I didn't even notice it. Plus, I now learned, the strap that was hanging on the right side of the handle bar was there for situations just like this to tie down the rear brake so the bike wouldn't roll away. I looked backed at the long bend we just came around. No bike in sight. And the longer I stood there the farther away it was getting.

I took off like Forrest Gump.

After rounding the bend I saw the bike off in the distance, looking like an invisible person was pedaling, steadily rolling it backwards. If bikes could laugh, this one would be complaining of stomach cramps. I caught up with it after about a quarter of a mile, which is a long way to run on railroad tracks.

You can get a good workout from rail biking, but it's your own fault if you do.

The 12th Annual Street Music Week is happening. If you're downtown or in the Garland District during the noon hour, you are bound to find something you'll enjoy. Even street juggling. Please show your appreciation by dropping some cash in an orange bucket. All proceeds go to the Second Harvest Food Bank.

So, there you have it. From a table of membership in different groups we have gotten a picture of a kind of social network between individuals, a sense of the degree of connection between organizations, and some strong hints of who the key players are in this world. And all this—all of it!—from the merest sliver of metadata about a single modality of relationship between people. I do not wish to overstep the remit of my memorandum but I must ask you to imagine what might be possible if we were but able to collect information on very many more people, and also synthesize information from different kinds of ties between people! ...But I say again, if a mere scribe such as I—one who knows nearly nothing—can use the very simplest of these methods to pick the name of a traitor like Paul Revere from those of two hundred and fifty four other men, using nothing but a list of memberships and a portable calculating engine, then just think what weapons we might wield in the defense of liberty one or two centuries from now.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

The Spokane Bicycle Club has rides scheduled forTuesday,Wednesday (ladies only),Thursday, andSaturday.Believers on Mountain Bikes has a mountain bike ride at Riverside State Park at 6:00 pm on Tuesday. They have another ride penciled in for Saturday, June 15, at Beacon Hill. Email spokanebomb (at) yahoo.com for more info.Spokane Rocket Velo has rides scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Check their site for details.The Baddlands Racing Club has another evening of racing in their Twilight Series at 6:00 pm, Tuesday. This one is Chapman Long road race. It stages on South Presley Drive by Salnave Park in Cheney, WA.This Bike Life has a mountain bike ride on Wednesday and a road ride on Thursday. Sometimes they switch it up so check their Facebook page for updates and details.The sixth race in the Wednesday Night Mountain Bike Series, sponsored by Fitness Fanatics is this Wednesday at Riverside State Park. Registration starts at 5:00 pm and racing starts at 6:30.

Wheel Sport East has a no-drop shop ride every Wednesday at 6:00 pm. Wheel Sport Central has a no-drop road ride on at 6:00 pm every Monday and a mountain bike ride every Wednesday. Check their Facebook page for details.Fitness Fanatics has a shop ride at 6:00 pm every Thursday.Two Wheel Transit has a shop road ride Thursday night at 6:30 pm. Meet at the Manito Tap House, 3011 S. Grand Blvd, beforehand. They have another on Saturday morning, at 8:30 am. Again, meet at the Manito Tap House. Cancer Patient Care'sLoreen Miller Bike Ride is on Saturday, June 15.Also on June 15 is I Made The Grade. Climb 2,000 feet over 18 miles on the Old Spiral Highway.In the not too distant future:

Spokane Summer Parkways will be in the Comstock/Manito neighborhood at 6:00-9:00 pm, June 19. Included in the fun is a bicycle decorating contest at 7:00 pm.On June 22, the Specialized Test The Best event is at Camp Sekani/Beacon Hill. You can check out and ride Specialized mountain bikes.FBC Spokane will hold it's penultimate ride on Sunday, June 23. It will be a Prom Ride. Meet at The Swamp at 7:00 pm.

Belles and Baskets (ladies only) is riding the Centennial Trail to Liberty Lake at 1:00 pm on June 23. Check the Facebook event for details.

The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance - Eastern Washington Chapter is putting on a basic mountain biking skills class at 10:00 am-1:00 pm on June 22. The fee for the three hour class is $50. The group also has a women's mountain bike clinic on June 29. For questions about either event, contact Chelsey Henry: chelsey at evergreeneast.org. The Jedermann Grand Fondo is coming up on July 20. Choose between the 30, 66, and 112 mile routes.The Spokane Valley Cycle Celebration is set for Sunday, July 28. Check the Facebook event for details.Spokefest is scheduled for Sep 8 and registration is open.

Here's an interesting coincidence with the latest news about online privacy and how much information our government collects on its citizens. As part of my gig with Out There Monthly, I ask people I find walking, running, riding, etc., if they'd like to be featured on the OTM Facebook page. Most people are cool with it, but a few people decline, which is fine. I completely understand. If a complete stranger with a camera hanging off his back rode up next to me on a bike and said he wanted to put me on Facebook, I would be pretty hesitant and slightly suspicious. Heck, I even had one person ask to see my ID.

I recently had one person decline and unnecessarily--and unprompted because I don't ask why--explain it was because of their job. During the explanation they gave me a generic name for their job.

Later on, I wondered what I could find out from just that bit of information. In barely ten minutes of poking around with a search engine, I found enough information with which I could probably go back and surprise that person with how much I learned.

Imagine how compete that picture would be if I knew what phone numbers that person called or called them and how long they talked. And if I captured all their emails, credit card transactions, and library checkouts. And if I knew the IP address(es) they use and what IP addresses they connect to. And if I knew the location of their cell phone. I don't have that kind of access, but in this person's case, I didn't need it.

We have very little privacy unless we live completely off the grid. So how do we protect it?

Friday, June 7, 2013

I didn't pay any attention to this so I'm late to the party. Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers posted a message welcoming a company named Vivint, Inc., to Liberty Lake and included a link for anyone looking for a job there.

In the past three years, the Better Business Bureau has received more than 1,400 complaints about the company. (In just two months this summer alone, police in Palm Bay, a Florida city of 100,000 people, recorded scores of complaints, according to the newspaper Florida Today.) In comparison, Stanley Convergent Security Solutions, Vivint’s next-largest competitor according SDM magazine’s 2011 rankings, has been the target of just 40 complaints during the same three-year period.

Various people posted this information and what they thought about it on her Facebook page. Once again, she actually answered.

That didn't seem to help any so then she took it off her main page altogether. As many people know, the Internet does not let you off so easy. You can still get to the original post.Oh, and beware of any door-to-door alarm sales people.